


Exhausting Expectations

by janeitesarah



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Any minute now..., Can you tell?, F/M, I really should stop, I've been working today, Jareth gets his way, Laby first, Lokane later, Other tags not otherwise specified, So do the goblins, Sounds Scary, They have expectations, This is not the Lokane I was looking for, Write All the Things, really it's not, seriously, tagging is addicting, things aren't what they seem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 15:04:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10766709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janeitesarah/pseuds/janeitesarah
Summary: In which Jareth lives up to expectations.  And Sarah is along for the ride.A little violent in the beginning, but as we all know, not everything is what it seems.





	Exhausting Expectations

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> In response to Startraveller776's encouragement to Write All The Things, this begged to be written first. I have a couple other Laby bunnies running around, and then...well, hopefully the Lokane will be there. In the meantime... here we go.
> 
> As I have not fanfic-ed in several years, I have no beta; despite the fact I tutor writing, there are bound to be mistakes. Please forgive them- I was a bit tutored out when I wrote this!

The horde dragged him in, trussed up like a turkey about to be roasted. His nose collides with a tankard of ale, and he feels the tendons in his ankle give way against the stone door-frame. Pulled in front of a huge throne, and hauled to his feet, limping, blood gushing from his nose, he is surrounded by angry, victorious goblins, dancing, and waving sharp implements menacingly around their head, their leers threatening him with certain death should he attempt to get away. 

“QUIET!!”

The resonant voice chills the boy’s blood, but he cannot keep from looking at the figure draped over the throne; the Goblin King, in all his terrifying splendor. He cannot look away when the Goblin King looks at him. He feels every terrifying possibility of his loss.

He hadn’t expected anyone to come when he’d made that wish.

He thought he could make it right if he could get through a maze. It was just a maze, right? How hard could it be? And he couldn’t let his baby brother stay here…his parents would kill him. If they ever saw him again.

“Well, well, well. What have we here?” The Goblin King rose from his throne, and, tapping the riding crop he carried against his thigh, stalked up to the boy. “Another loser. Did you see, my pet?? They are not always as lucky as you.” 

A rattling noise to the side of the throne catches the boy’s attention. A lovely woman with dark hair cascading down her back stands there, scantily dressed in a red outfit that might be considered the porno-harem outfit from hell. It showed more than it concealed, and the boy felt his face blush in embarrassment as he looked away.

“Go to hell, you…” 

The Goblin King waved his hand and the woman’s voice cut off, just as she mouthed a rather uncomplimentary word. Another flick of his wrist and the chains binding the woman appeared in his hand, dragging her along behind. Up close, the boy could see the bruises around her wrists from the chains, the scratches on her knees, the fear in her eyes as she attempted to yank the chains out of the Goblin King’s hands, and the rips and tears in her clothes, apparently from being dragged around by the chains. The goblins shouted their approval, dancing gleefully around her, poking her with the sticks and forks they held. One bit her leg, growling at her, when she tried to knock him away.

“Quiet!”

The silence was deafening. 

“So, my darling Champion, what shall we do with him? Drop him into an oubliette? Let him play a game of ‘Don’t Lose Your head’ with the Fireys? Maybe some quality time with the Helping Hands?” The King looked the boy over, the scathing look clearly indicating the boy was scum beneath his feet. “Or perhaps the Bog? I know how you love the Bog; such a lovely time you spent there, putting the bridge you destroyed back together, brick by brick.” The lecherous grin he turns on her makes the boy sick. The woman merely glares, and yanks on her chains.

In a second she is held tightly in his arms. “Still so defiant, after all these years. After all my generosity! I can always remove the magic holding back the stench.” And he crushed the woman’s mouth to his in a scorching kiss. The woman beat her hands against him, and finally succeeded in separating herself from him by a swift kick between his legs, only to fall on the floor when he let go. His leer turned cold.

“Return Sarah to her place. I will deal with her later.”

The goblins scream in excitement, and, poking her to make her stand up, herd the woman back to her place next to the throne. She fell halfway there and twisted her ankle painfully, but the sharp sticks the goblins wielded forced her to continue limping toward her former place next to the throne, looking considerably worse for wear. Her clothing was even more tattered, she had a deep cut on her shoulder, and several more bruises blooming on her legs and arms from their poking.

The Goblin King watched all this with a look that terrified the boy. When the woman was chained to the throne, he turned his attention back to the boy, who cowered before him.

“Yes. Cower, child. I have decided your fate.” The King’s grin turned feral. “It’s the Fields of Torture for you, boy.”

When the goblin horde screamed in agreement and excitement, the boy’s heart dropped into his stomach, and he vomited all over the floor. The goblins and their king laughed merrily at this, and with a wave of his hand, the boy disappeared.

“Well done, you miserable cretins! Go- your victory feast awaits! I shall join you shortly…I must deal with this ungrateful little wretch.” The Goblin King’s feral grin turned to Sarah as the goblins cheered their king. “She must be taught… obedience to her lord and husband, don’t you think?” Sarah turned white with terror.

A cheer went up from the assembled horde as they swarmed around Sarah and forced her, limping and stumbling, toward their king. He swept her into his arms and disappeared from their sight. Screaming with excitement, the horde ran out of the castle, to the feast prepared for them in the main square of the Goblin City.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#####~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Ian opened his eyes with a start, a muffled scream coming out before he realized he was home, in his own bed, dreaming of… the next second, he was standing in front of his little brother’s bed, relief flooding him as he saw his brother sleeping peacefully with his favorite teddy bear. 

“It was just a dream”

Sighing with relief and trying not to cry, Ian went back to his room, closing the door behind him and getting back in bed. It was just a dream.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~#####~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Tell me why we have to do this again?”

Sarah sat in front of her vanity brushing her hair out as her husband healed the one small wound that escaped the magic she used to protect herself from the goblins. The bite was problematic because the goblin who bit her was slightly poisonous to changelings like herself; thus Jareth was required to heal her when she was bitten.

Jareth sighed. “I’ve explained this, darling. It is tradition the Goblin Queen be unwillingly wed. Should the horde find out you came willingly, I would lose my control over them.”

“I understand that, darling, but the outfit? And the chains? Are they really necessary?” She put the brush down and gave him her full attention. “Surely THAT isn’t part of the tradition. It’s just your twisted sense of humor, isn’t it?” Jareth’s wolfish grin was all the answer she received. Sarah rolled her eyes. Mortal or fae, men were all the same. “I see.”

Don’t worry, love! Another hundred years, and we can start transitioning you into the “Unhappy but succumbing to…what is that lovely little concept you told me about... ah, yes, Stockholm Syndrome.” His smile turned persuasive “It’s only a hundred years. Not long at all. Unless you’re finally going to break down and agree to produce a Crown Prince.”

“Shhh! Ganieda might hear you!” Sarah glanced furtively at the cradle behind them, next to the large, four-poster bed she shared with her husband. “You’ll give her a complex! It’s not her fault she’s a girl!” Sarah’s grin was beatific. “It’s yours.”

Jareth rolled his eyes. “This mortal preoccupation with this “science” is quite provoking.”

Sarah snorted. “As is your mortal, not-quite-ready-for-Stockholm-Syndrome, can’t-bear-a-crown-prince Queen. Give it up, Jareth. You aren’t going to win this argument.”

Jareth huffed. “I am well aware.” Sarah grinned. While he was forced to pretend otherwise outside their private quarters, due to the “expectation” of his subjects, he adored his daughter. It was cute how quickly Gandy wrapped him around her little finger.

The royal family was interrupted by the soft squeak of the door; a small goblin entered, closed the door carefully behind him, and scampered over to Sarah’s side, twining himself like a cat around her legs before jumping into her lap and attempting to hug her.

“Squat sowwy he bit Lady. Youse okay now? Kingy make all better?” His bulbous eyes were filled with tears.

“Yes, Squat. Kingy make all better.” Sarah hugged him, and his tears became tears of gratitude. Neither Jareth nor Sarah quite knew how Squat knew the truth of her circumstances, but he had done an admirable job of keeping her secret, and become devoted to her, though he occasionally forgot himself when swept up in the excitement of the horde.

Sarah rubbed his ears, and he purred in response. “Did you get enough at the feast?” 

Squat nodded, and jumped down, running over to a small pillow under the cradle. “Squat tired. Feasting hard!” He curled up into a ball and was soon snoring.

Jareth rolled his eyes. “Tell me why I have to have that little cretin sleeping under my daughter’s bed again?”

Sarah laughed. “Because, darling, he’s the only goblin who can bear to look at your wife without trying to maim her. And he’s a cute little guy.” Her smug smile dared him to disagree.

Jareth sighed. Sometimes, his wife’s cruelty astonished him. And others…well, all these expectations were... exhausting.


End file.
